Automatic sprinkler system.



No 868,624 PATENTED 001 .15, ."iffiO'Z.

W. BAUER.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION nun APR: 24, 1901.

Flgil.

P J Q Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM BAUER, OI LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-SEVENTH TO MINOR C. PETER, ONE-SEVENTH TO WARREN I-I. RICHARDSON, ONE-SEVENTH TO ALBERT RUET- LINGER, ONE-SEVENTH TO EDWARD J. MILLER, AND ONE-SEVENTH TO ORLANDO C. RICHARDSON, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, AND ONE-SEVENTH TO BENJAMIN (,l. NEAT,

OF .NEW ALBANY, INDIANA.

AD'TOMATIC SPRINKLER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 15, 1907.,

Application filed April 24, 1907. Serial No. 869,929.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM BAUER, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and Stateof Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Sprinkler Systems; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is an improvement in automatic sprinkler systems for extinguishing fires in buildings, in which systems piping is distributed throughout the building and equipped with a series of sprinkler heads which are closed with some material fusible at a c01nparatively low temperature, so that if a fire occurs in 'and water is admitted into the apartment.

Such apparatus are customarily provided with some means intended to close an electrical circuit and tI%nsmit notice of a tire to some distant point,as to a fire heads leak so that unnecessary loss by flooding water can be prevented, or the work of the apparatus in extinguishing fires can be supplemented by the work of the fire department. The most usual means of closing the circuit is to employ a plunger or diaphragm in the dripcylinder, which plunger or diaphragm is moved outward by the in'rush of water which occurs when the casualty insurance companies require that such alarm systems be tested at intervals in order to maintain the risks in force, and to insure that the apparatus is in proper working order; but when making such tests it is very desirable that the water system be not seriously disturbed. p

The present invention, therefore, is designed to enable such tests to be mad whenever desired without disturbing the system, and this invention in particular is an improvement upon the testing devices for such systems disclosed in my Patent No. 831207, dated September 18, 1906, as will be hereinafter more. fully explained. In order to test the electrical circuit in the apparatus as ordinarily constructed, a shortcircuiting switch is installed in the alarm system and by closing this switch the alarm will be sounded if the electrical connections are in proper condition, but this shortcircuiting switch merely tests the electrical part of the system and does not show whether or not any part of the hydraulic system is out of order. The improvedepartment,in case the seals re fused or the sprinkler the vicinity of the sprinkler heads the seals are fused -ment covered in my said patent enables any one to determine whether or not the water operated plunger or I diaphragm for closing the main switch, through which the electric signals are transmitted, is in working order; and by that improvement the necessity of putting the hydraulic system temporarily out of action,'during the time while such tests are being made, is'entirelyob viated. In my said patented invention such tests are made by short-circuiting vsaterfrom the 'mainsupply pipe to the switch operating device under the automatically controlled pressure valve and accomplishes its purpose effectively and thoroughl but in practice I have found that it is desirable to see that the passage leading from under said valve to the signal operating devices, is free and undisturbed. By the present invention I not only test the electrical signal operating devices as in my said patent-but I also test the condition of the ports and passages leading to and under the said pressure valve G to the electric-switch operating devices. By this invention, therefore, not only can the operativeness of the entire electric-alarm part of the system be tested at will without disturbing the sprinkler system,and the 'short-circuiting switch can be dispensed with if desired,but I also simultaneously test the condition of the ports, passages and pipe connections under said pressure valves and the electricswitch operating devices, and with my present invention such tests can be made simultaneously without disturbing the hydraulic system at all, and as conveniently as it has heretofore been'possible to merely test the electrical part of the system.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated my invention as applied to one of the present known acceptable and satisfactorily working sprinkler systerns, and the invention will be fully understood from the following description in connection with the said drawings and summarized in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation'of so much of the .entire apparatus as is necessary to impart a clear understanding of the present invention; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the pressure controlled valveand the drip chamber.

The main water supply pipe A is connected to a main or tank containing a constantsupply of water. The distributing pipe D is connected to pipe A through the pressure-valve-chamber O, which as shown in Fig. 2, is located between pipes A and D, but communication with pipe A is normally closed by a valve 0 which is of ordinary construction and which is adapted to seat upon an annular ring C in the lower part of chamber 0, and when seated will effectively close communication between the pipes A and D. In

the upper face of seat G is an annular channelC whi6h is normally closed on its upper side by the valve butwhich connects by a passage 0 with a pipe k leading to the dripcylinder K hereinafter referred to The pipe provided with a turn-plug h which should be normally kept in open position.

Below valve chamber C is 'a manually operated valve B, in pipe A, by which water can be manually cut off from the distribu'ting system D whenever it is desired, as for instance, when removing or renewing the sprinkle heads. position. v 4

Connected to pipe D area series of ordinary distributing pipes E, which are merely diagrammatically illus; trated in the drawings, and which are'customarily ar- V ranged along the ceiling of the apartment in which they are located, andlareiprovided witha series of sprinkler heads e which are sealed ,bya material fusible at a low temperature. Thepipe Dmay be provided with an vindicator gage d, and the pipe A with an indicator gage a.

The pipes D, water, under a sutficient pressure to keep the valve C closed against the pressure of water in pipe. A until the pressure in pipe D is reduced by the opening of one or more of the sprinkler heads. The distributing'systern above valve 0 maybe drained by a pipe 0 having a valvec. I I

" In order .to' send the alarm automatically when the" sprinkler system is put into operation by the fusing of some of the sprinkler head seals, an electric, circuit is provided arhich ordinarily comprises a ,main switch located in a casing F into which are ledthe opposite -terminals g, h, connected to conductors G, H, which' 85 point. 'The circuit can be closed by a movable con-l leadv to an alarm or indicator I located at any desired tact piece g? attached to a diaphragm F secured in the casingF-below the terminals 9, h, and whichpi'ecegv is" I normally held "by the diaphragm out of contact with the diaphragm F by a pipe K with'the drip-cylinder. K. This drip-cylinder K is connectedwith a port 0 the'terminali g; h. The casing F is connected below in the casing C by means of a pipe k, port 0 communicarting with the channel (3 in the valve seat C The drip-cylinder K is also provided with a drain pipe k which is closable, within the cylinder, by a small valve In which is connected to a diaphragm K in the lower end of the drip-cylinder (below pipe 15,) and which diar phragm normally holds valve Ic in open position, see

Fig. 2; the cylinder K is, therefore, normally empty;

and the plunger or-diaphragin F normally holds piece 9 out of contact with the terminals 9, h, so that there is no electrical communication between conductors G, H, through the switch, which normallystands open, as indicated in Fig, 2. But if the sprinkler heads are unsealed and valve C unseated by the inflow of wafer from pipe A, water immediately flows through annular channel 0, throughport C and pipe is into cylinder K and causes diaphragm K toclose valve E2 and, rising in the drip-cylinder, forces the diaphragm F in easing F upward so as to cause piece 9 to contact with the terrninals g, h, thereby closing the electric .circuit through the conductors G, H, and transmitting an alarm to the signal I v Theparts has far described-are constructed and.

Valve B, however,- is normally secured in open.

it, can'be filled with water, or air and seam arranged substantially as in the ordinary apparatus.

Customarily a short-circuiting switch L is also placed near switch F so that the electrical alarm circuitcan be readily tested, but obviouslythe closing of this switch would not indicate at'all whether. ornot the plunger or diaphragm F- and' drip cylinder K were in operative condition, nor whether the pipe C or channel C were clear and unobstructed"; and in these apparatus, heretofore, in order to'test suchipar'ts it was necessary to open the drain. valve 0 to, anew the water to be drawn out of the distributing system and also to permit the inrush of water from 'pipe'A-c into pipe is and drip-cylinder K and to actuate the phragm F and close the alarm circuit. Alh ni th-is necessitated the temporary disablement 'of-entire systemyrequired a great deal of time, and-was very troublesome.

In my aforesaid patent, I provided'a shor 'ing pipe M whereby water could be con dl'ut ted'iriim' the pipe A into drip-cylinder K so as to' test the operativeness of the latter ax of the electric switch operating devices without (1 t rbing the jhydfaulic'system or the connections between theelectrical and by draulic' systems. V i

In the present invention, instead'of employing the said pipe M connected direct toythefdrip-cylinder,"I employ a pipe l?"connected with the pipe below valve'B and with a port1C the lower part of they; chamber 0, which port 'connects with the annular channel C .and thus, throughsaid channel and the port 0* withpipe is, and through the latter with the not be closed unless the port 0 channel C port 0 and pipe is are clear and unobstructed, and the cylinder and switch-in proper operative condition, so that [by this invention I not only test the electrical part of the apparatus but I test the ports and passagesconnecting the'main valve C with' the switch operating 1 devices. Thus when the-valve p is opened, it the signal is transmitted toindicator I it is certain that the parts are all in thorough proper working condition, and the test can be made as often as desired and very quickly without any disturbance of the distributing system or placing the same out of commission for even a short period of time. I

The utility of the invention-is obvious from the fore .going description; it removes a great many practical objections to such fire extinguishing systems; it facil tates testing of the apparatus; does not disturb the electrical or hydraulic systems at all, while demonstrating'and testing the practical working and cfiiciency of the entire system simply and thoroughly. After the test is made the valve 7) is closed and the dripcylinder K drained through pipe h and remains empty until another test is made, or the hydraulic system (ioines into play automatically.

to the said channel wherehy thc water may be passed Having described my invention what I claim as new l and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1: In an automatic fire extinguishing sprinkler system, the combination of a water suppy pipe, :1 distributing pipe, a main pressure controlled valve interposed between the supply pipe and distributing pipe, :3. channel in the valve seat communicatingwith the said distributing pipe and normally closed by said valve, an outlet' from said channel, a signal communicating with the outlet, and a valved pipe connecting the main watersupply pipe to the said channel whereby the water may be passed through said channel while the valve is closed.

2. In an automatic fire extinguishing sprinkler system, the combination of a water supply pipe, a distributing pipe, a main pressure controlled alve interposed between the supply pipe.and distributing pipe, :1 channel in the valve seat communicating with said distributing pipe and nor mally close(. by said valve, an outlet from said channel. and a valved pipe connecting the main water supply pipe through said channel while the valve is closed; with an electrical alarm system, a hydraulically controlled switch for closing the electric circuit through said system, and

connections between said switch and the nuilet oi sa channel wherebythe switch =15 operated when wate admitted into the channel.

3, in an automatic fire extinguishing system, the combination of a water supply pipe, 3 distributing pipe, an electric alarm system, a switch for closing the electric alarm, a dripcylinder and connections for operating said wwitch, whereby the circuit is closed when water is ad mitted into the cylinder; with a main prcssurc'controlled valve interposed between the supply pipe and distributing pipe, :1 channel in the valve seat communicating with said distributing pipe and normally closed by said valve, connecti ns between said channel and the said drip-cylinder, and a valved pipe connecting the main water supply pipe to the said channel, whereby water may he passed through I said channel to the drip-cylinder to lcsi. the alarm system while the main pressure-controlled valve. is closed. y

4i In an automatic sprinkling apparatus for extlnguisl1- ing tires, the combination of distributing pipes, :1. Water supply pipe,- a pressure controlled vaive interposed between the supply and distributing pipes and normally closed, a channel in the seat of said valve having its upper side communicating with said distributing pipe and normally closed by the valve, a drip-cylinder, and a pipe connecting the said channel with said cylinder; with an electric alarm. system, a switch for said system connected-with said drip-cylinder whereby the switch is closed when water is admitted into the said cylinder, and a valved pipe connecting with the supply pipe below the main pressure controlled valve, and with the channel in the valve seat whereby water miiy he passed through channel to the said cylinder to test the alarm system without disturbing the main pressure controlled valve.

0. In an automatic iire extinguishing sprinkler system,

tlne combination of a main Water supply pipe, distributing .pipes, a pressure controlled valve between said pipes having an annular channel in its seat communicating with said distributing pipes and normally closed by said valve, sprinkler heads connected with said distributing pipes, an electric alarm circuit, a hydraulic switch for closing P circuit, a drip-cylinder connected with said switch, and a pipe connecting said drip-cylinder with the channel in the pressure controlled valve seat; with a valved pipe connccting the water supply pipe with the said annular chair ncl and adapted to admit Water to said channel and through the latter to said drip-cylinder independently oi the pressure valve or distributing pipe system, whereby the connections between the valve seat and the drip eyl iuder and the operativeness of the electrical circuit can be ii'sted without disturbing the distributing system,

in testimony that I claim the foregoing nsmy own. I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM BA l EIL Witnesses:

-il)A ll. GRANT,

Urns. iL Mllzzozvil 

